April 28, 2014

Saudi Arabia: No camel-human link seen in MERS cases

Ever since a study said the coronavirus has been “extraordinarily common” in camels for at least 20 years, the camel market has been in focus in the Kingdom. However, Sulaiman Al-Jabri, the head of the livestock committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), stated that no infections or deaths from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) caused by the coronavirus have been documented among people working closely with camels.

“There are strict regulations that are implemented on livestock in the Kingdom. These include health and vet checkups. The animals undergo checkups in countries where they are imported from, and they are checked again at local ports. The Ministry of Agriculture also provides the needed vaccines,” said Al-Jabri, rejecting any link between camels and the coronavirus.

However, people are still edgy. Public fears have been fueled by a rapid rise in the number of fatalities from the respiratory infection.

A Sudanese shepherd selling camel milk said that these days he is getting less number of visitors.

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Ever since a study said the coronavirus has been “extraordinarily common” in camels for at least 20 years, the camel market has been in focus in the Kingdom. However, Sulaiman Al-Jabri, the head of the livestock committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), stated that no infections or deaths from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) caused by the coronavirus have been documented among people working closely with camels.

“There are strict regulations that are implemented on livestock in the Kingdom. These include health and vet checkups. The animals undergo checkups in countries where they are imported from, and they are checked again at local ports. The Ministry of Agriculture also provides the needed vaccines,” said Al-Jabri, rejecting any link between camels and the coronavirus.

However, people are still edgy. Public fears have been fueled by a rapid rise in the number of fatalities from the respiratory infection.

A Sudanese shepherd selling camel milk said that these days he is getting less number of visitors.